Railroad-car



(N0 Modl.) V

H. W. LIBBEY. RAILROAD GAR.

Patented Ju1y Z4, 1894.

lllllllll III! l:

EI l

IIIIIIII/III &

' W TNESSESI .Attomey.

1 A the end walls.

l 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HOSEA W. LIBBEY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF T0 GEORGE H. KIMBALL ANDI WILLIAM P. JOHNSON, OF OLEVELAND,

OHIO.

RAILRAD-GAR.

SPEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patenfi N0. 523,435, dated J'u1y 24, 1894.

l Application fi1e. J'anuary 12, 1891. Serial N0. 377,528. (N0 model.)

T0 all whom z3t may concern:

Be it known that I, HOSEA W. LIBBEY, a citizen of the United States, residing a1: Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented eertain new and useful Improvements in Railpoad-Oars, 0f whioh the fo1lowin g, taken in conneetion with the acooxi1panying drawings, is a specification.

My improvements in railroad cars relate particularly to the ende and the method of inclosing the same and making contact between two adjacent cars to exolude Wind and min, and it consists in certain details of 0011- struction as hereinafter fu1ly deseribed and pointed 01111 in the claims;

Figure 1- represents a perspeetive view of one end 015 a ra.-ilroad car embodying my invention. Fig. 2is a sectional plan view of same. Fig. 3 is a. vertical seetion ta.ken 011 1ine x, 0c, of Fig. 2. Fig. 4- i s a vertical section tanken on liney, y, 0f Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a detail view of the s1iding p1ate. Fig. 6 is a side view of the end of a car shoxying a modified form of traveling curtain. Fig. 7- is a vertical seotion taken on line z, z, of Fig. 6. Fig. 8- is an enlarged seetional view 0f one form of the contaot pieoes between the cars and Fig. 9- shows another forrn.

v Inoonstructing rail road cars according to my invention I form the floor of the ca.r from end 110 end on the same leve1 thus dispensing with the platforms and steps in cars as now constructed, and the alls of the cars are built from end to end. on ea0h side and aeross each end. A, represents the sidewalls of th e am, and In tl1e eenter of eaeh end wall A, is an opening B, around which 0n the outer side is a frame O, to whioh is secured the contact piece D, consisting of an india rubber Plato 01 other yie1ding eonstruotion, the lower ende of these frames O, and contact pieces D, mre on a 1ine with the floor level.

When the eontact pieces D are forxi1ed of rubber plates, as a, they are preferably provided with anumber of fingers b whioh, when the cars are eonneeted into a train, inter- 1ock with each other as shown in Fig. 8. The outer portions of the fingers may be provided with knots 01 projeotions c, whieh pass in between the fingers of the a.djacent car.

Ab eaeh end of thecm is fitted a pivoted sliding plate E, bent down at its front end and eut out so as to fit over the buffer F, as shown (seeFig. l), am; or about the center of155 this p1ate is secured a bo1t 01' rivet G, hawing a dove-tailed head that is free to s1ide in a dovetail groove formed in a. bar H, secured to the frame of the cm, the rear end 0f the plante E, is a true semieircle, struok from the-6a center of therivet G, the fioor all ar0und the pla.te is reoessed, as shown, for a short distanoe, (say tawo inches) so as to a110w the plante to WOIk back an d forth, the plate is kept extended to its normal position, viz: so as to be on a level with the face of the buffer, by two spiral springs I.

J, J, are doors hinged to the frame of the opening B, and whieh aze closed when the car is the last one in the train. 0

- K, is a partition about f0ur feeb from the end of the ear anc1 which divides the passengers spaee L, from the hell or entry M, this partition is provided with a, door N.

The steps P, are arranged on eachside 0f the ea.r next to the partition K, a space being 1eft between the steps and the end of the omso asto 1eave suffieient space for the ta)veling curtain Q, that eloses oho entrance so the steps P. These curtains are preferably'made of metal slats j ointed together and travel in a groove q, which gr0ove extends aoross the front of the lower steps and for about half the le'ngth of the curtzain beyond the steps, and. then returns in a semicircle as showu in Fig. 2. The spaoe that is thus occupied by the curtains between the steps andthe e nd of the cm: is utilized on one side as a se'at R, for the porter, and on the other side by the brake rod and wheel S, which is always in position am]. ready 130 be operated when occasion requires, and of course the design of the interior finish would be earried t0 -the extreme end of the cam.

When two ears are eoupled together, the rubber p1at'e or contact piece D, on eaeh omcome into contaot with each other and. are

-compressed 130 a, greater or lese degree, the two ing a tight joint between the two cars, ab the same time the le vel of the floors of the cars am maintained from end to end of the train, and it will be readily seen tha.t the plate E, being free (so slide and turn on its fulcrum, 111 will readily adjust itself to the various po sitions of the cars as they pass round curves, and the contact pieees D, being compressed when the cars are coupled will form a tight joint in whatever position the cars assume, for if going round a eurve the pieces 011 the inner side 0f the curve will be more tightly compressed while' those on the outer side 0f the curve will be free to expand.

In Figs. 6 and 7 I have shown a modi'fied form of curtain, in this case the curtain Q, consists of a lower portion q, which may be 01" flat sheet metal, to the upper end 0f whieh is secured metal slats g t0 the upper s1at bands q a1e attached which bands pass over a roher (1 and their outer ends are attaehed to a bar q, the roller cf is at ech end provided with grooved pulley q over which cords or chains q"are passed, the lower ends of said cords or chains being connected 1:0 lugs 011 the upper portion 0f the piece q, and the other ends t0 eounter balanoe weights cf. By this construetion the curtai n is praclzioally co'unter-balanced, and ca.n be readily raised and lowered as may be required.

The modification of the aonnecting pieees shown in Fig. 9, consists of a number of 1'011- ers d, mounted in bearings e, on a face piece f, secured to a box shaped pieee g, so as to have a sligho lateral movement, the ends of saic'l box piece g, fit into another box shaped piece h, secured to the end Wall of the am, and spiral springs j, are interposed between the two box shaped pieces g and h 1:0 keep the movable one g extended.

My invention may be applied to cars a1- ready built by removing the end Wall and building 01111 as shown, 0 r the present platform might be extended, in both cases the platforms would preferably be bui1t up so as 1:0 be 0n a, 1evel with the floor 0f the car so as t0 form a eontinuous level walk f1om one end of the train to the other.

What I clairn as my invention is l. In combination With a car, a contact piece at the end thereof, said piece being provided with a, multiplicity of vertioally arranged yielding contaot points, substantially as and for the purpose Set forth.

2. The eombination with a rai1 road car, in-

olosed from end to end by side walls and pro-.

vided wiuh end walls, each of w.hich end walls is provided with an opening, of an elastic piece of: material around the opening, said pieee of material being provided with a. series of vertically arranged cont1act points, substantia1ly as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a railroad car, the pivoted sliding plate E, having its outer end turned. down and eut 0110 to fit over the buifer, and its rear end of semicireular form in combination with the dovetailed grooved bar H, and holt 01 rivet G, having a. dovetail head to fitand slide in said groove in the bar H, zxnd springs I, f0r keeping the plate extended t o its normal position substantially as sei; forth.

4. In a rail road car having walls extending from end 130 end oft the same, openi11gs through said wa1ls and steps leading to a hall 01 entry, traveling curtains for closing said openings, said curtain being constructed. with its outer end of so1id material for about 0ne third its length and the remainder o1 the other two thirds 0f s1ats jointed together am]. to the solid portion substantially as shown and described.

5. A rail road cm having its fl001 011 a level from end 1:0 end of the cm and side wa1ls extending from end 130 end of the ear, the end 0f same being closed by end walls, partition f01 dividing the main portion of the cm from the halls 0r entries, steps leading 110 said hal1 or entries, said Steps being a sufiioient dista.nce from the end. of be car to allow for a seat 0D one side, and the brake whee1 on the other side, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, 0n this 30th day of December, A. D. 1890.

HOSEA W. LIBBEY.

Witnesses:

CHAS. STEERE, EDWIN PLANTA. 

